a small group of indispensable persons or things
"five periodicals make up the core of their publishing program"
the central part of the Earth
"Scientists are drilling deeper to study the temperature and pressure conditions in the core of the Earth."
the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
"the gist of the prosecutor's argument"
"the heart and soul of the Republican Party"
"the nub of the story"
a cylindrical sample of soil or rock obtained with a hollow drill
"The geologist carefully extracted a core from the deep drilling site to analyze the ancient sediment layers."
an organization founded by James Leonard Farmer in 1942 to work for racial equality
"The Civil Rights Congress, which was originally a core of organizations founded by James Leonard Farmer in 1942 to work for racial equality, played a pivotal role during the early years of the movement."
(computer science) a tiny ferrite toroid formerly used in a random access memory to store one bit of data; now superseded by semiconductor memories
"each core has three wires passing through it, providing the means to select and detect the contents of each bit"
the chamber of a nuclear reactor containing the fissile material where the reaction takes place
"Engineers spent weeks reinforcing the core to ensure it could withstand the intense heat generated during the latest test."
a bar of magnetic material (as soft iron) that passes through a coil and serves to increase the inductance of the coil
"The technician replaced the old aluminum rod with an iron core to boost the solenoid's inductance."
The central part of a fruit, containing the kernels or seeds.
"She volunteered for CORE, an organization dedicated to promoting corporate responsibility within the tech industry."
A body of individuals; an assemblage.
A miner's underground working time or shift.
Alternative form of cor: a former Hebrew and Phoenician unit of volume.
A deposit paid by the purchaser of a rebuilt part, to be refunded on return of a used, rebuildable part, or the returned rebuildable part itself.
Acronym of corporate responsibility.
In plain English: The core is the central or most important part of something, like the center of an apple or the main idea of a story.
"The core of the apple was hard and brown."
Usage: Use "core" as a noun to refer to the central or most essential part of something, such as the core of an apple or the core values of a team. Do not use it as an acronym for corporate responsibility in everyday conversation, as that is a specialized business term rarely used outside specific contexts.
To remove the core of an apple or other fruit.
"She carefully cut out the core before slicing the apple into wedges for the salad."
In plain English: To core means to remove the inedible center part from something like a fruit or vegetable.
"The coach decided to core out the bad habits from his team's strategy."
Usage: Use "core" as a verb when you physically remove the inedible center from fruits like apples. This action is distinct from simply cutting around the fruit or peeling its skin.
Forming the most important or essential part.
"The company decided to lay off its junior staff before touching anyone in core management, ensuring that their essential leadership remained intact during the restructuring."
In plain English: Core means being at the center or most important part of something.
"The core values of our company are honesty and integrity."
Usage: Use "core" as an adjective to describe the central or most vital element of something, such as core values or a core team. Place it directly before the noun it modifies to emphasize that these qualities are fundamental rather than peripheral.
Acronym of Congress of Racial Equality.
"The old manuscript refers to the biblical rebel as Core, an archaic spelling that modern readers rarely encounter anymore."
The birth name of Persephone/Proserpina, the queen of the Underworld/Hades, and goddess of the seasons and of vegetation. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and the wife of Hades.
Obsolete form of Korah.
The word core entered Middle English with the meaning of an apple's pith, though its ultimate origin remains uncertain. It may be a native English term related to words for seed and grain, or it could have come from Old French and Latin words meaning "heart" or "body."